Isco speculation a taste of what's to come if Real Madrid lose to PSG

While the Champions League round of 16 tie with Paris Saint-Germain is dominating the news agenda at Real Madrid, it appears the club are positioning themselves ahead of what could be a big shake-up next summer with Isco reportedly one to depart.

With Madrid already 19 points adrift of runaway La Liga leaders Barcelona, and embarrassingly eliminated from the Copa del Rey by lowly neighbours Leganes, captain Sergio Ramos has called the PSG the team's "last card" to turn around their season.

But the visit of in-form Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and company also brings the possibility of another low in what has been an awful 2017-18 so far, with coach Zinedine Zidane having more or less admitted that his own future could be decided over the 180 minutes in Madrid and Paris.

Into this context comes Tuesday's report on TV show El Chiringuito claiming that Zidane has told club president Florentino Perez that he wants Isco sold next summer.

Host Josep Pedrerol, who is well connected at the Bernabeu, claimed that, having backed Isco over on loan rival James Rodriguez last summer, Zidane had been disappointed with the Andalusian's performances and wanted him gone. That was, of course, assuming the manager is still in the job next season.

Although there were no quotes from Zidane or Isco in the report, it was widely picked up in the local media and even made it onto the cover of AS on Thursday morning, with the paper adding the detail that Madrid would move for Chelsea's Eden Hazard as a replacement.

Inside,AS also ran a story with "five teams who could try and take Isco" -- naming Manchester City, Liverpool, Juventus, Bayern Munich and Arsenal as potential destinations for the 25-year-old. While Mundo Deportivo linked Isco with Anfield and maintained that Liverpool had a 150 million bid for Marco Asensio turned down last summer.

A debate over Isco's position at the Bernabeu has been bubbling under the surface during recent weeks, especially as he lost his regular starting position with the "BBC" of Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo all now fit and available for Zidane.

The big guns of Europe are fighting for places in the closing rounds of the Champions League. Across the Atlantic, the South American equivalent is at a very different stage.
The Copa Libertadores is currently halfway through the third and final qualifying round.
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